Senator Al Franken Joins List Of Democrats Threatening Sugar Program Over American Crystal Strike

Rob Port • January 11, 2012

If there was any evidence needed for the fact that the government uses social programs and subsidies to control us, consider how Democrats like Senator Kent Conrad and now Senator Al Franken have threatened that program as a way to try and push American Crystal into caving into union demands to end a months-long lockout.

“I can’t pass legislation to make a private company settle with their workers,” Senator Franken told the Grand Forks Herald. Which is true. But he can use federal policy to threaten that company. That he’ll do gladly on behalf of his union cronies.

The situation has caused “real pain” for the workers and their families, Franken said, but it also has “undermined” the sugar program.

The “three-way cooperation” in the Red River Valley between growers, labor and business at American Crystal helped give the sugar program broad support in Congress, he said. “And now that’s being torn asunder and I fear for the sugar program.”

The sugar program, to be accurate, is not direct subsidies. The sugar program protects domestic sugar markets from foreign competition with trade barriers, and controls the amount of sugar farmers can sell to sugar companies so that increased supply doesn’t drive down prices. It is a government-controlled market, operated to the benefit of American sugar companies, and what Franken is threatening to do is exercise that political control to the detriment of companies like American Crystal because they won’t give Franken’s union buddies what they want.

It’s out-and-out corruption. Shocking to see in a “free country” like America.

Tags: al franken, american crystal, North Dakota News, subsidies, sugar program, unions

http://Sayanythingblog.com The Whistler

So the comic’s idea is to hurt the local economies and hurt one of the largest employers in his district.

Whether he realizes it or not the farmers and many of the replacement workers are his constituents.
Anonymous

Threatening a free market won’t work.
Sugar is the tail that wags the dog.
Anonymous

So is Franken threatening to end the sugar program? Win-win!

http://sayanythingblog.com Rob

No doubt. I actually wonder if American Crystal doesn’t see the writing on the wall for the sugar program, and so is ignoring the threats of Conrad/Franken.

Camsaure

Exactly, in my opinion it is somewhat doubtful that struggling foreign economies will be able to afford to continue subsidising their exports of sugar. ACS has understood all along that the program wouldn’t last forever and has prepared for that scenario for years. I am sure that the obama administration has had ACS targeted just like the oil industry anyhow. ACS is probably well aware of that fact. The strike is most likely just a charade orchestrated by the failed comedian Franken and his crony criminal Conrad in order for the obama administration to recruit angry union workers to help advance his marxist agenda

Anonymous

Too much cool aid dude.
Go see a psychiatrist. Nowadays, they have pills for paranoia.

Camsaure

The fact that you disagree with me is a badge of honor to me.
Anonymous

I am so proud to have provided to you a badge of honor.
Wear it night and day, and to anyone that asks tell him/her: This was awarded to me by ellinas1, a citizen from Stockton California, with political views different than mine.

Hunter

One recurring inaccuracy here is that there is a strike at ACS, it’s a lockout. The workers didn’t like the offer (right or wrong) and ACS didn’t want to risk a strike in the middle of the harvest so they locked out the workers and hired replacements.

A lot could have been done differently by both sides, they could have extended the old contract through this harvest season or they could have signed a no-strike agreement through the harvest season.

That being said, we all pay double for the sugar component of every thing we buy under the “no cost” sugar subsidy and jobs have been lost to Canada because the price of sugar is less there. If Mutt and Jeff want to end the sugar subsidy, please don’t try to convince them they are wrong.
Blues_man62

It’s a Lockout not a strick you moron! That just goes to show how people type and dont even know what thier talking about!

Anonymous

The Chicago way coming to the Red River Valley.
Geoff

How is this not considered blackmail

Brenarlo

I don’t shed a tear for the farmers who have spent years in bed with government when the government starts playing politics.
JustRuss

I’m sure that blackmail of this sort falls into the same gray area of the law as insider trading when it comes to members of Congress.

Helenron

Rick Berg was on the radio this morning and said because the current sugar program is almost self supporting, he doubts there will be any change for it in the farm program. Then again Diaper Franken might make it an item for change.

Hunter

It’s “self supporting” because we all pay double for sugar products. That means no cost to “the government”, not no cost to the people.

Fredlave

There is no “coffee program”. That hasn’t stop the roasters from hiking coffee prices every chance they get. Bad crop -> higher coffee prices. Good coffee crop -> prices stay high.

Anonymous

That’s called supply and demand, demand keeps the price up. The free market in action. The same might happen with sugar but we won’t know until they let the market work.

howiseeit

I remember when Oberstar in Mn sat in front of the airline executives and scolded them for charging for baggage. He reprimanded them as though he was their superior. And he basically threatened them like he could control them. It just showed how these people think of themselves with authority over others. Same goes for Franken. Another self riteous government hack who forgot that this is a free country. These people really have to be taken down a notch or two. Really…who in the heck do they think they are. Just a quick note to Franken …. the Monarchy is on the other side of the ocean and I think you should go there for a long term visit.

Hal423

Do you mean the former Representative Oberstar who became so extreme that he lost in one of the most consistently Democrat districts in Minnesota?

howiseeit

Yes that is exactly who I am talking about. Hopefully the voting public will do the same for Franken and others like him who forget what their job entails.

Hal432

Franken was never qualified to be Senator, just like Jesse wasn’t qualified to be Governor. Minnesota voters are very “unique”.

will8148

howiseeit… you need glasses. “free country” so the free country includes protection for the sugar industry so they in turn can screw their workers. you are must be one of the scabs

Sgt Rock

Franken is an idiot – living proof that no one in MN should be allowed to vote in any election effecting national policy. Need further proof of their (MN’s) voting ”ability” – throw in Jessie !!
http://nofreelunch.areavoices.com/ Kevin Flanagan

Haven’t we been told sugar is bad for one’s health? Won’t Obamacare outlaw its existence?

Fajj

Fuck, you are stupid.

Independent

He’s joking. Jeez. He’s just criticizing the hypocrisy of them subsidizing it and then blaming it for childhood obesity, diabetes and what every other issues.

Cherz1967

It’s also a bluff Rob. They can’t cut the sugar program with affecting all producers of sugar. ACS is just one of many. They would be throwing out the baby with the bath water. That’s why ACS isn’t bighting. Conrad and and Franken can cry all they want. ACS replaced the union workers with non union workers. Why don’t Conrad and Franken care about those middle class American jobs?
BruthaLuv

Franken does understand that the growers own ACS, right? His comment about cooperation ‘between growers, labor and business at American Crystal’ makes it sound like maybe he doesn’t quite get that piece of the puzzle…
Fighting Czech

This is nothing more then a reminder to acs that its that time again, and they better pick up the pace on contributions to the dnc. or else… Honestly, with all the government welfare for the owners of acs, and the protectionism they have been able to purchase from DC. Im always amazed that the only thing people are concerned about is some politican yakking about getting back to negotiations. Tell me, other then a breeze caused by flapping lips, what huge payback have the striking workers got for all of their so called ”political clout?”
They would have been better off investing in a solar panel factory in California.
howiseeit

It’s simple really. The ACS workers and Franken need to realize that the tail doesnt wag the dog.

Hunter

Your “dog” needs to realize that it’s the dog and not the master. I’m a union guy and I have to admit I would have taken the offer that was on the table. But enough about that. What I see happened up there was a whole lot of pork being spread around and both sides seemed to get a little carried away.

Some sugar farmers needed a boost to get started with the sugar industry and the government helped them out by getting them double the world price for their sugar by keeping out the competition. The workers saw the dollar signs and wanted “their share”. When American Crystal Sugar can afford to pay the boss $2.4 million a year on double the world price, then I figure they could pay him $1.2 million if the sugar program ended. He could be a greeter at Walmart a couple nights a week and he would get by.

It’s time to get the politicians out of it and let the market find it’s price, for the management, the labor and for the sugar they produce.

Ron_Harper

hey dumbass its a lockout not a strike

Hal432

I don’t think it matters any more. This is pretty much over, ACS has shown an ability to operate without a contract and many workers have moved on. Hope is not a strategy, the union has failed the workers and sacrificed them for their larger goals. It’s a good thing that the unemployment rate is low in ND and the workers should be able to find work.

Halliganchristopher

You think this is considered blackmail? The Union, and its workers, offered to work off the OLD contract until a new contract could be negotiated. Both sides signing that would’ve negated the ability to strike, OR lockout, as both were covered in that old contract.
However, the company threatened before the first vote even, that failure to ratify the NEW Final Contract, which included such clauses as “THE EMPLOYER RESERVES THE RIGHT TO ADD TO, DELETE FROM OR OTHERWISE MODIFY THE PROPOSALS SET FORTH ABOVE.” and “the Company will pay the same percentage of the established premium for the selected coverage as the Company pays for its nonunion employees and as that may change FROM TIME TO TIME.”. There are a total of 38 issues I believe in the new contract that need to be negotiated.

So this wasn’t blackmail? Hiring Strom Engineeering a year before the contract was signed, and having them send scabs to the factories to be trained by Union workers wasn’t to be seen as a threat? Being told “sign or be locked out” when there was other alternatives isn’t a threat?

The company has been planning the lockout to be just that. The worded the contract specifically so it wouldn’t GET signed by the Union.

The company works in the black, not the red. A “free” sugar program, that doubles the price Americans pay for sugar compared to the REST OF THE WORLD, isn’t needed then, is it?

Beet farmers want a form of “job security” by being ensured that regardless how they screw something up, they won’t lose money?

That’s what the union workers wanted to.
Nunya

to the union guy that would take this contract. ARE YOU STUPID , if everyone was like you we wouldnt have unions and what we would have is low class workers making 6.00/hr and people like berg making 5 million a year. without unions this country would be like mexico run by the bosses with all the money and the workers get low pay.

Hal432

How do you explain the increased standard of living in the US when union membership has been declining for decades? Unions make companies less competitive because the company is less capable of adjusting to market conditions in a timely manner.
Anonymous

Where we are, not where we would like to be:

Because of the “no cost” sugar program over 1000 workers at a Hersheys plant were laid off and the work moved to Canada where sugar is cheaper. In other words jobs were created at ACS at the expense of jobs at Hershey. If I worked at ACS I would move on, get another job, and make it my life’s goal to kill the sugar program.

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